Faith and Family

Day 235 - August 23

2010-08-23T22:13:00.000-05:00

August 23 - School is in session. Packed and ready for morning.

Day 234 - August 22

2010-08-23T22:10:00.000-05:00

August 22 - Creativity at work.

Day 233 - August 21

2010-08-23T22:06:00.000-05:00

August 21 - Kevin had to take my tire in and have it repaired yesterday. This morning he gave the boys life lessons on how to change a tire. Important things everybody must know.

Day 232 - August 20

2010-08-23T22:04:00.000-05:00

August 20 - So today's pictures are actually in two parts. First off, you get to see Kevin changing the flat tire I got on my way to work. Considering I commute nearly 100 miles a day it is only by God's providence that this doesn't happen more often. After only an hour delay I did finally arrive at work.

And, happy birthday to me!

Day 231 - August 19

2010-08-23T22:00:00.000-05:00

August 19 - The first day of fifth grade.

Day 230 - August 18

2010-08-23T21:57:00.000-05:00

August 18 - The boys groaned when they saw words returning to the school sign today. Today is the last day of summer vacation.

Day 229 - August 17

2010-08-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

August 17 - Here's Kevin with an ice pack on his teeth recovering from his wisdom teeth extraction. I believe he thinks he might have been "wiser" if he had left them in.

Day 228 - August 16

2010-08-23T21:53:00.000-05:00

August 16 - Some black-eyed Susan's from my garden.

Day 227 - August 15

2010-08-23T21:49:00.000-05:00

August 15 - Gideon and Eli have been with Grandma in Broken Bow for the last few days. Kevin has been in Sturgis. I have been home alone. Its good to all be together in under the same roof tonight.

Day 226 - August 14

2010-08-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

August 14 - Kevin's bike parked in front of his cabin in Hot Springs, SD

Day 225 - August 13

2010-08-23T21:42:00.000-05:00

August 13 - From Randy and Kevin's trip to Sturgis Bike Rally, 2010

Day 224 - August 12

2010-08-23T21:37:00.000-05:00

August 12 - Randy and Kevin on their way to Sturgis. (And, I know the date on the photo is 8/11 but Martha's camera must have the wrong date because they really did leave on the 12th.)

Day 223 - August 11

2010-08-23T21:36:00.000-05:00

August 11 - Chase County Hospital

Day 222 - August 10

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August 10 - And the grain elevators in Imperial.

Day 221 - August 9

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August 9 - Chase County Courthouse in Imperial, Nebraska.

Day 220 - August 8

2010-08-23T21:28:00.003-05:00

August 8 - We drive by this every time we go to McCook (which is probably far too often). An interesting piece of American history in our backyard.

Day 219 - August 7

2010-08-23T21:27:00.000-05:00

August 7 - After dark we used our new fire pit and roasted marshmallows. We used jumbo size marshmallows and, while they were yummy, they were incredibly messy because you couldn't eat it in just one bite.

Day 218 - August 6

2010-08-21T22:47:00.000-05:00

August 6 - I didn't take this picture but when I picked up my camera to take on for the day I found this saved on digital card. Since Gideon is missing from the picture I can only assume that he is taking the picture. Good friends and the lazy days of summer - it's good to be a kid.

Day 217 - August 5

2010-08-21T22:41:00.000-05:00

August 5 - It rained pretty heavily this afternoon and I had to smile when I got home and found these three stomping around in the rain and the puddles. I love that my kids are still young and uninhibited enough to splash in the rain!

Day 216 - August 4

2010-08-21T22:30:00.009-05:00

August 4 - And a sunflower field in southwest Nebraska.

Day 215 - August 3

2010-08-21T22:30:00.008-05:00

August 3 - A Nebraska cornfield.

Day 214 - August 2

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August 2 - Dundy County, Nebraska; Highway 34

Day 213 - August 1

2010-08-21T22:29:00.000-05:00

August 1 - Today is Sunday and here you see the "aftermath" of our Sunday service - complete with doodles and drawings on the sermon boys' sermon notes.

Day 212 - July 31

2010-08-21T22:25:00.000-05:00

July 31 - And another wild turkey this morning along the side of the road.

Day 211 - July 30

2010-08-21T22:16:00.000-05:00

July 30 - If you look closely you will see a pair of wild turkeys along as they scurry away from oncoming traffic. Wild turkeys used to be a novelty in this part of the state. Now they are almost a nuisance.

Day 210 - July 29

2010-08-21T22:12:00.000-05:00

July 29 - We planned to leave for home early today but the Harley Davidson shop didn't open until 8:00 am. So we slept in a bit longer than planned in order to stop at the shop and pick up a shirt for Uncle Randy.

Day 209 - July 28

2010-08-21T22:10:00.000-05:00

July 28 - Holt Adoptee Camp in Spirit Lake, Iowa. The boys were anxious and excited when the day finally arrived. Every dealing we have ever had with Holt International Children's Services has been exceptionally well done and this was no exception. We found the parents sessions to be incredibly informative and the boys had a great time of making new friends and learning about their shared experiences.

Here is the entire parent/child team of Day Campers from Holt Adoptee Camp.

In the afternoon the kids got to swim in Spirit Lake. To Eli and Gideon this was great fun as their only swimming experiences to this point had been in swimming pools. Swimming in a lake was a rare treat.

Day 208 - July 27

2010-08-21T21:41:00.000-05:00

July 27 - We left this morning for Okoboji, Iowa for Holt Adoptee Camp tomorrow. Upon our arrival we had to snap a shot of the Victory manufacturing facility as we stopped to get some free stuff for a friend who rides a Victory bike.

Day 207 - July 26

2010-08-21T21:35:00.001-05:00

July 26

Day 206 - July 25

2010-08-21T21:34:00.001-05:00

July 25

Day 205 - July 24

2010-08-21T21:25:00.000-05:00

July 24 - Gideon and Eli training Chico to do all sorts of tricks. They have discovered that small pieces of a hot dog are the perfect reward for an obedient dog and Chico is more than ready to do whatever is necessary to get his treat.

Day 204 - July 23

2010-08-21T21:08:00.000-05:00

July 23 - Gideon got his glasses repaired today and, since he can now see, he noticed how dirty the floor was and he did something about it.

Day 203 - July 22

2010-08-21T21:04:00.000-05:00

July 22 - I guess when you have broken glasses you don't notice when you are only wearing one sock.

Day 202 - July 21

2010-08-21T20:49:00.000-05:00

July 21 - Glasses are not supposed to be in pieces but, for a few days at least, Gideon will get to have his glasses in parts.

Day 201 - July 20

2010-08-21T20:40:00.000-05:00

July 20 - This was the strangest site to me when I arrived home from work. Eli was sitting in the driveway with the army pieces from the Memoir '44 game composing a battlefield on the concrete. He doesn't need to actually have a battle as he is a kids who finds great pleasure in working out the details of a project.

Day 200 - July 19

2010-08-21T20:28:00.000-05:00

July 19 - So we arrived home today and as soon as the weather cooled down a bit Kevin was off for a ride. He missed his bike while we were gone.

Day 199 - July 18

2010-08-21T20:07:00.000-05:00

July 18 - We woke up this morning and Gideon wasn't feeling well at all. Our plan had been to travel to Spearfish Canyon and Sturgis. Kevin, Martha, Eli and Ben still went touring. Grandma, Grandpa, and I stayed behind with Gideon. He actually loved having the opportunity to relax in the RV and watch Star Wars, Episode 3.

We had promised Eli he would be able to go fishing while on our trip. We even packed some of the gear and transported it throughout Yellowstone and the Tetons. But, South Dakota fishing permits were expensive and we could go to the stocked fishing lakes and pay the same price as a one day fishing license. Kevin, Martha, Ben and Eli stopped and did some fishing on their way to Spearfish Canyon.

And some scenic views from their drive:

Day 198 - July 17

2010-08-21T19:12:00.000-05:00

July 17 - Rushmore Water Slides was on the agenda for the day. There was something for everybody here and Aunt Martha and I even joined in on the fun.

Eli about to splash down.

And Martha coming in for a splash landing.

Gideon preferred the smaller and wider freestyle slides.

Eli and Gideon loved to team up on the double slide.

Eli on the super fast Bonzai Slide.

Martha trying her hand on the Bonzai slide. If you look closely you can see that she is airborne.

I preferred the rest and relaxation of the floating pool. And, look, I even got Gideon to lead me around.

This sign made me laugh when I saw it. I'm not sure if Kevin intended to take a picture of the sign or not but the water is only about 3 feet deep here and it just struck me as odd that you needed to "relax at your own risk."

After we were all thoroughly exhausted from the water park we loaded up and headed for Mt Rushmore. We all had different things we wanted to do while here. Martha, Ben and Eli went for a hike. Gideon and I took in the museum and some of the films. Grandpa ate ice cream and watched people. And, to be honest, I'm not sure what Grandma or Kevin were doing. But, we had ample time and opportunity to do it all.

We gathered together in time to participate in the nightly lighting ceremony at the monument. This is always a highlight of our trips to the Black Hills and I would highly recommend it to anybody who is in the area to make sure you take in the evening show.

And a final view of the Avenue of Flags.

Day 197 - July 16

2010-08-21T17:27:00.001-05:00

July 16 - We went to Deadwood for most of the day. The boys got all day passes for the entertainment center and rode go-karts and bumper boats until they were absolutely exhausted. We did a little bit of walking around downtown Deadwood and found a buffet for lunch. Grandma was giving the boys a life lecture on why gambling is not a good idea and to demonstrate she put a couple of bucks into the slot machine. Those couple of dollars promptly multiplied into about $10. So much for a lesson on gambling. If your grandkids turn into compulsive gamblers, Grandma, you might find this life lesson to be the cause.

Day 196 - July 15

2010-08-21T16:57:00.000-05:00

July 15 - The women and children spent the morning relaxing and exploring around the campground and lake while the men spent most of that same time at the Harley Davidson shop in Rapid City. After lunch we went to Bear Country. It was a little bit warm for the animals in the afternoon so some of them, particularly the baby animals, we buried and hiding in the shade. We did manage to get some good shots of the bears who were finding refreshment in the lakes and afternoon shade.

Day 195 - July 14

2010-08-21T10:07:00.003-05:00

July 14 - After a night spent in Cody, WY we left the Yellowstone area and traveled to the Black Hills where we plan to meet Grandma and Grandpa. We will spend the rest of our vacation days enjoying the scenic beauty and family entertainment offered.

Here are the boys posting outside our hotel before we left Cody.

And a game of "freeze out" in the back seat.

Late afternoon we arrived in Rapid City at Lake Park Campground. Grandma and Grandpa were already there. (Actually they have been there for a week now with their other RV friends.) Here is our cabin.

After unpacking all of our stuff we went to the Ft Hays Chuckwagon Supper and live country music show. Prior to the meal we were able to browse through the props and movie set from "Dances with Wolves."

And Ben and Eli settled in for the night.

Day 194 - July 13

2010-08-21T10:05:00.001-05:00

July 13 - Another wonderful day in Yellowstone National Park. We would later learn that July 2010 would boast the largest number of visitors in one month ever recorded at Yellowstone. Surprisingly, we didn't find the park crowded and were able to enjoy all of the thermal features and natural beauty that the make this such a unique treasure on earth.

The mud pots have to be seen to be appreciated. A photograph just doesn't seem to do them justice and a video doesn't capture the distinctive sulfur smell that seems to dominate the air in parts of Yellowstone. However, here is a small video of the mud pots in all their bubbly-ness.

We arrived at Mammoth Hot Springs shortly after lunch.We did a fair bit of walking and exploring in this area and then had some lunch. Yellowstone is probably one of the few remaining areas in the country where cell phone coverage is not readily available. To accommodate this, working phone booths are readily available throughout much of the park. As we were walking around the Mammoth Hot Springs village area we came across a site totally unfamiliar to my 21st century kids. Eli stopped and asked in amazement: "Is that a phone booth?" After being assured that is was, they asked if they could have their picture taken. As amusing as this seems to those of us who grew up without cell phones this photo will probably be even more iconic to my grandchildren than it was to my children 2010.

I remembered this from our trip to Yellowstone as a kid in 1980 but what I didn't remember was the vastness of this area of the park. And, just in case you didn't think I was actually along on this trip since there aren't many pictures of me, here is photographic proof of my visit to Yellowstone.

It became a running joke during our trip that Eli had to stop and read the signs in their entirety. Whenever we couldn't find Eli, all we needed to do was look back at the last sign and we would be sure to find him there. Here is Eli doing what he did best on the trip:

From around the Mammoth Hot Springs area:

The walk back to Tower Falls lead to one of my favorite scenic views in the park. The rock spires in this area were unique and fabulous and the panoramic view was spectacular.

Yellowstone has so many different personalities that there is something to please every palette. Here are a few scenic view from the area surrounding the Roosevelt Lodge.

And a couple more thermal features before we left the park.

Lake Yellowstone and the overlook of the lake was Kevin's favorite view in the park.

Shortly after leaving the last gate at Yellowstone we arrived at the Pahaska Tepee village where we stopped for our evening meal. We were just a little bit early for the evening crowd and so we had the entire restaurant to ourselves. After and exhausting day of touring it was good to sit down and have something to eat. And, we couldn't resist snapping a few photos with the Indian and buffalo statues on the way. (And, please don't read the sign that says to stay off the buffalo. I promise they weren't sitting or climbing on it.)

Day 193 - July 12

2010-08-21T10:02:00.001-05:00

July 12 - We woke up early in Casper and were at the Tetons by lunch time. We spent the afternoon touring the Tetons and found our way to the campground by early evening. After checking into our cabin we decided we wanted to continue on into Yellowstone so we checked out of the cabin and decided we would travel through the west side of the park and stay in West Yellowstone. So, after a wonderful visit to Old Faithful and some of the geyser basins we arrived at our hotel shortly before 10:00 pm.

We didn't get very far down the road when we ran across Hell's Half Acres. And, since we were on vacation and didn't really have a schedule to keep we stopped to check things out.

It was very unique and interesting. The sign told us that the Indians used to run buffalo off these cliffs and into these rock formations. We stood there for several minutes trying to decide how the carried a 2000 lb animal back up the canyon walls.

We arrived at the Tetons - well, technically, it was Moose, WY - just in time for lunch. We ate at this outdoor grill. The food was great but nothing compared with the view from our table.

The majestic Teton mountain range and Grand Teton National Park:

The three boys enjoying the view from the back seat. Apparently, Ben couldn't get enough of the clean mountain air.

And a view of Jackson Lake in Teton National Park.The boys went down for a closer look at the water. Kevin opted for a closer look through his binoculars.

And, what would a trip to Yellowstone be without seeing a bear. We do have to admit that we weren't technically in Yellowstone when we saw this bear. We were still in the Teton National Park but we were almost to the north gate and on our way to Yellowstone so we will count it as a bear sighting in Yellowstone.

We finally made it to Yellowstone. After several years of saying we "should" go to Yellowstone it was almost surreal to finally be there.

No visit to Yellowstone is complete without a view of Old Faithful.

After we watched the Old Faithful eruption we took quite a bit of time and toured the Lower Geyser Basin in the park. The boys thought this was one of their favorite areas of the park.

A Yellowstone Icon:

And, finally, a swim in the pool at West Yellowstone and we were all ready for bed.

Day 192 - July 11

2010-08-07T15:24:00.006-05:00

July 11 - Today we left for our vacation to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the Black Hills in SD. We went to church this morning and as soon as we could change our clothes and grab our sandwiches we were on the road. We picked up Ben in Scottsbluff and drove as far as Casper, WY that evening. Here we are loading the pickup and then eating at IHOP in Casper before heading for our hotel.

Day 191 - July 10

2010-08-07T15:23:00.001-05:00

July 10 - We love this time of the year. It seems like we eat corn on the cob for nearly every meal for a couple of weeks and then it is gone while only the memory and anticipation of next year's crop remains.

Day 190 - July 9

2010-08-07T15:22:00.002-05:00

July 9 - Need I say more?

Day 189 - July 8

2010-08-07T14:41:00.001-05:00

July 8 - Nothing reminds me of my childhood summers like a ripe, red watermelon.

Day 188 - July 7

2010-08-07T14:40:00.006-05:00

July 7 - Don't you love it in the summer when everybody is trying to give you zucchini? You have to make sure you lock the doors on your car or it will be full of green vegetables when you get back.

Day 187 - July 6

2010-08-07T14:40:00.005-05:00

July 6 - Nothing says summer quite like peaches.

Day 186 - July 5

2010-08-07T14:39:00.000-05:00

July 5 - We had some sparklers that didn't get lit on Independence Day so Eli, Gideon, Sheina, Natalie, and Joshlyn were able to extend their celebration by an extra day. My kids have really wonderful friends. I enjoy having these girls over at the house.

Day 185 - July 4

2010-08-07T14:37:00.000-05:00

Happy 4th of July! We started the day with a picnic and baptism service after church. Following a lazy afternoon of firecrackers and food we went to the community fireworks show. We had almost 40 people join us outside after the show for our own private fireworks display.

Day 184 - July 3

2010-08-07T14:25:00.000-05:00

July 3 - Gideon lighting firecrackers.

Day 183 - July 2

2010-08-07T14:23:00.000-05:00

July 2 - Happy 16th Birthday Becka! We went to Kearney this afternoon for a surprise birthday party for Becka. I couldn't pick just one photo from the day so you get a bonus showing today.

Gideon and little Reese.

Here I am giving bowling lessons to Gideon.

Look at how good of a teacher I am. His ball is right down the middle of the lane.

Brandon and Deana

Aunt Darla giving Eli and Gideon lessons on how to play arcade games.

Kevin and Grandma in a 3D simulator. I love the expression on Grandma's face.

Day 182 - July 1

2010-08-07T13:46:00.000-05:00

July 1 - A wheat field right before harvest.

Day 181 - June 30

2010-08-07T10:55:00.000-05:00

June 3- - Eli poised to jump.

Day 180 - June 29

2010-08-07T10:51:00.000-05:00

June 29 - Gideon enjoying the swimming pool.

Day 179 - June 28

2010-08-07T09:59:00.000-05:00

June 28 - Gideon appears to be in serious concentration over his sparkler form. Sparklers were a favorite of mine as a child and it is fun to watch my kids enjoying them as much as I did.

Day 178 - June 27

2010-08-07T09:56:00.000-05:00

June 27 - Ten days until Independence Day and Kevin and the boys bought their first fireworks of the season. Everybody except Chico enjoyed this annual summer rite of passage.

Day 177 - June 26

2010-08-07T09:53:00.000-05:00

June 26 - Getting wet the old fashioned way! Gideon seems to be enjoying the blast while Eli is tucking his head in for a run through the water.

Day 176 - June 25

2010-08-07T09:50:00.000-05:00

June 25 - Windmills are common sites in the pastures and rolling hills of southwest Nebraska. This one seemed particularly picturesque against the cloudless sky.

Day 175 - June 24

2010-08-07T09:48:00.000-05:00

June 24 - As I leave Stratton for my morning commute to Imperial (52 miles) I am reminded of just how far I have to go.

Day 174 - June 23

2010-08-07T09:47:00.002-05:00

June 24 - Welcome to Stratton - A good place to grow.

Day 173 - June 22

2010-08-07T09:46:00.000-05:00

June 22 - As you cross the county line you change time zones. It took a bit of getting used to when we moved to southwest Nebraska to always be changing time zones but after a few mishaps we quickly learned to adapt.

Day 172 - June 21

2010-08-07T09:44:00.000-05:00

June 21 - I decided to take a few pictures of the signs and landmarks of the communities where we spend our time. Here is the sign as you enter Benkelman, obviously they are proud to be the hometown of Ward Bond.

Day 171 - June 20

2010-08-07T09:43:00.000-05:00

June 20 - Happy Father's Day! Kevin and the boys decided they wanted mulberries and strawberries with angel food cake and whipped cream. So, they went out to pick the mulberries from the enormous mulberry bush, or maybe it is a tree, in the backyard. You can see that they already have quite a few in the bowl.

Day 170 - June 19

2010-08-07T09:39:00.000-05:00

June 19 - Eli, Gideon and one of the neighbor kids taking a break from their sword fighting.I'm not sure why Eli has two swords and nobody else has any. Perhaps he is holding them prisoner?

Day 169 - June 18

2010-08-07T09:36:00.000-05:00

June 18 - Toy Story 3 Opening Weekend. We went to the theater to see Toy Story 3 on opening night. We love Woody, Buzz and the gang at our house and have been looking forward to seeing this movie. We loved it and found it a fun way to say good-bye to some old friends.

Day 168 - June 17

2010-08-07T09:34:00.000-05:00

June 17 - I have been working on getting some great night shots with my camera while the guys have been watching the stars. Tonight's shot of the moon turned out almost "picture perfect".

Day 167 - June 16

2010-08-07T09:31:00.001-05:00

June 16 - Another evening...more star watching. Kevin is adjusting the telescope for Gideon to do some stargazing.

Day 166 - June 15

2010-08-07T09:25:00.001-05:00

June 15 - Kevin and the boys bought a telescope at a garage sale over the weekend. They have been out watching the stars almost every evening since then. Eli has found it easier to look at the skies through his binoculars.

Day 165 - June 14

2010-08-01T18:29:00.000-05:00

June 14 - Although we fly our flag nearly every day, today is Flag Day and a perfect opportunity to highlight this tradition of our.

Day 164 - June 13

2010-08-01T18:25:00.000-05:00

June 13 - This is not a wrestling match. It is "tickle time."

Day 163 - June 12

2010-08-01T18:23:00.000-05:00

June 12 - Some more daisies spilling over the rocks in my front raised flower bed.

Day 162 - June 11

2010-08-01T18:21:00.000-05:00

June 11 - Some prairie flowers from the garden.

Day 161 - June 10

2010-08-01T18:19:00.000-05:00

June 10 - "The miracles of nature do not seem miracles because they are so common. If no one had ever seen a flower, even a dandelion would be the most startling event in the world."

Day 160 - June 9

2010-08-01T18:14:00.000-05:00

June 9 - Some more goodness from the garden.

Day 159 - June 8

2010-08-01T18:12:00.000-05:00

June 8 - This photo needs a little bit of editing but I had to catch a quick shot of the yucca blooming in this pasture. Yucca don't bloom every year so it is an amazing site to see the hillsides covered with these exotic and unique plants.

Day 158 - June 7

2010-08-01T18:09:00.000-05:00

June 7 - More goodies from the garden.

Day 157 - June 6

2010-08-01T18:04:00.000-05:00

June 6 - Gideon and Chico have become an inseparable pair during these first few weeks of summer. Pure joy on the face of this boy as he wrestles with his dog.

Day 156 - June 5

2010-08-01T17:57:00.000-05:00

June 5 - The boys have been barefoot most of the spring and summer and their feet were showing signs of wear and tear. I needed them to clean up their feet so I set them up with a 'tween pedicure in the bathroom - complete with personalized entertainment.

Day 155 - June 4

2010-08-01T17:53:00.000-05:00

June 4 - Nope, the boys are not being mean to Chico. He desperately needed a bath and since the weather was super hot today they decided to cool him off and clean him up at the same time.

Day 154 - June 3

2010-08-01T17:49:00.000-05:00

June 3 - The taste of summer...watermelon.

Day 153 - June 2

2010-08-01T17:41:00.000-05:00

June 2 - More wildflowers from my garden.

Day 152 - June 1

2010-08-01T17:39:00.000-05:00

June 1 - A quick picture of Enders Lake on my way to work this morning.

Day 151 - May 31

2010-08-01T17:38:00.000-05:00

May 31 - Eli and I spent some time playing a few a few video games, baking brownies and eating enchiladas. Here is just a sample of the video games.

Day 150 - May 30

2010-08-01T17:31:00.000-05:00

May 30 - Kevin and Gideon loaded up on the bike after church and headed to Broken Bow for a quick Memorial Day weekend visit with Mike and Michelle. This was, by far, the furthest either of the boys had traveled on the back of a motorcycle and Kevin said Gideon was a perfect traveler.

Day 149 - May 29

2010-05-29T17:03:00.000-05:00

May 29 - Randy and Ben arrived last night (along with a few friends of Randy's) to spend a couple of days here. The big boys wanted to get in some shooting time and the little boys found some time to enjoy a run through the sprinkler and the water fight that followed. It was one of the first hot days we have experienced so far this year and it seemed to take everybody by surprise.

Day 148 - May 28

2010-05-29T17:00:00.000-05:00

May 28 - My first daylily bloomed today. Lillies could perhaps be my absolute favorite flower.

Day 147 - May 27

2010-05-29T16:59:00.000-05:00

May 27 - Our first pumpkins poking their heads through the soil.

Day 146 - May 26

2010-05-29T16:57:00.000-05:00

May 26 - My tomatoes plants are almost ready to outgrow their coffee can protection. We have had incredibly strong winds these last few weeks and I am afraid to remove the protection these fragile plants have from the gale force breezes.

Day 145 - May 25

2010-05-29T16:54:00.001-05:00

May 25 - I planted one of the containers in the front of the house with red geraniums and purple petunias. Red geraniums are such welcoming flowers I always include them on my front step.

Day 144 - May 24

2010-05-29T16:51:00.000-05:00

May 24 - Another view of Memoir '44 - this time from the soldier's perspective. Today the boys fought the Battle on Omaha Beach. I believe the Allied Forces won again.

Day 143 - May 23

2010-05-29T16:49:00.000-05:00

May 23 - Eli and Gideon purchased the game Memoir '44 online and have been eagerly awaiting for it to arrive. Today it came inthe mail and Eli could hardly wait to begin play. Here he is studying the manual to set up the battle for today.

Day 142 - May 22

2010-05-29T16:47:00.000-05:00

May 22 - I didn't have to take the picture for today because Kevin took it for me. He went on a ride for the North Platte Crimestoppers organization in NP today and brought back some pretty good pictures. Unfortunately, he wasn't in any of them so we'll have to settle for a picture of some of the bikes parked in Cody Park.

Day 141 - May 21

2010-05-29T16:44:00.000-05:00

May 21 - Apparently Kevin needed some assistance with his sermon preparation and Eli appears to be more than eager to volunteer. This picture totally makes me smile.

Day 140 - May 20

2010-05-29T16:42:00.000-05:00

May 20 - You really have to know Kevin to appreciate this birthday card he received today from the Dahlins. The inside of the card reads: "I smell old people" but the prairie dogs on the front are absolutely perfect for this gun-toting pastor's birthday.

Day 139 - May 19

2010-05-29T16:39:00.002-05:00

May 19 - This sign says it all!!

Day 138 - May 18

2010-05-29T16:37:00.000-05:00

May 18 - The boys received their ribbons from yesterday's track meet today at school. Today was also the Elementary Reading Carnival. Since Dundy County owns their own carnival each year the kids that meet their Accelerated Reading goal for the year (and it is a tough goal to reach) get to go the carnival for the afternoon. Rides, games, go carts - whatever they want to do and as many times as they want to do it. What a great motivator to get kids to read.

Day 137 - May 17

2010-05-29T16:34:00.000-05:00

May 17 - Today was the Elementary School Track Meet. The weather didn't look very cooperative for most of the weekend but it ended up being a pleasant day for a track meet. Here are the boys with their very favorite classmates.

And some more pictures from the day...

Day 136 - May 16

2010-05-29T16:24:00.000-05:00

May 16 - Kevin usually doesn't enjoy repair and maintenance work but, for some reason, he will tinker on his bike in the garage for hours.